With emotions raw following last week’s deadly Florida high school shootings, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says there’s some misinformation being spread about his actions on a gun-related bill.

Almost a year ago, President Trump signed a bill into law — which Grassley authored — eliminating an Obama-era rule that would have added thousands of names to the list of people banned from buying guns.

Grassley says, “Not one name sent to this gun ban list by the Social Security Administration would’ve been deemed mentally ill.” The original measure would have barred people from buying guns if Social Security determined they could no longer handle their own finances. Critics, including some on Twitter, claim Grassley’s follow-up legislation made it easier for people with a mental illness to buy guns, but Grassley says that’s just not the case.

Grassley says, “I sponsored this resolution of disapproval because it unfairly stigmatized Americans with a mental disability.” The original bill would have allowed a clerk at Social Security to determine if someone would lose their constitutional right to own a gun, Grassley says, just because they needed help handling their money.

“Here’s the most important thing about why these twitters are wrong that you’re quoting,” Grassley says. “It was supported by 20 civil rights and disability advocates organizations, including the ACLU and the National Council on Disabilities.” The Obama-era regulation threatened to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of Social Security disability beneficiaries without affording due process, according to Grassley.

Obama first offered the rule in a 2013 memo after the shootings at Sandy Hook and it took partial effect in December of 2016. Trump signed the law reversing the rule in February of 2017. Had it taken full effect, some 75-thousand names would have been added to the national gun-ban database.

President Donald Trump today said the immigration bill Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley is sponsoring in the U.S. Senate fits the “White House framework” and Trump is urging senators to vote for it.

Grassley is the lead sponsor of the legislation. It would eventually grant citizenship to 1.8 million people brought into the U.S. illegally as children who qualify for the DACA program.

“And whoever would have thought from the campaign that President Trump would be for citizenship?” Grassley asked rhetorically today during a conference call with Iowa reporters. “But he has gone along with us on that.”

In a written statement, President Trump called Grassley’s bill “responsible immigration reform” that provides a “lasting solution” for the so-called “Dreamers.”

“The goal is to provide certainty and legal status to undocumented immigrants,” Grassley said. “…I suppose technically you could say the kids broke the law, but if you come here in diapers and your parents bring you here, I don’t think we’re going to attribute that crime to babies.”

Grassley’s proposal includes an end to so-called “chain migration” and a lottery system for granting visas as well as $25 billion for border security.

“This bill does not contain every provision I’d like to see,” Grassley told Iowa reporters today, “but in the spirit of compromise, I’m willing to support this proposal because it’s what the president will sign and finally solve this pressing problem.”

On another subject, Grassley said he was “not prepared to announce” whether the Senate Judiciary Committee might investigate why a man who lacked an F-B-I security clearance was allowed to be President Trump’s staff secretary and handle classified documents.

The two Republicans who represent Iowa in the United States Senate are co-sponsoring a bill that mirrors President Trump’s immigration plan. It includes $25 billion for border security as well as a path to U.S. citizenship for the 1.8 million people who applied for or were qualified for President Obama’s DACA program.

Senator Chuck Grassley describes it as the only plan out there that can pass the House and that Trump will sign into law.

“It provides a compassionate solution to those who were illegally brought here as children through no fault of their own and it includes a very generous opportunity for citizenship,” Grassley said tonight during a news conference in Washington, D.C.

Senator Joni Ernst said the legislation addresses the “unique challenges” of DACA recipients.

“In Iowa and across the nation, DACA recipients are a very, very special part of our community,” Ernst said. “They are our neighbors. I’ve heard from many young individuals who say: ‘They are our classmates,’ and, of course, there are those that go to church with us.”

Five other Republican senators are co-sponsoring the bill. Grassley, who is the plan’s lead sponsor, called it a “reasonable” approach to an issue that has divided Democrats and Republicans for years.

“If our colleagues are serious about actually finding a real and permanent solution to the DACA crisis, they should be ready and willing to support this compromise,” Grassley said.

Ernst recounted a conversation she had at the Clay County Fair with a DACA recipient who wants to join the Iowa National Guard.

“And she said: “I met with a recruiter months ago and they told me I could not serve…This is the only country that I have known and I love this country,'” Ernst said. “And it’s for folks like her that I’m working hard to make sure that we find a pathway forward.”

The legislation would put new limits on family-based immigration and it would boost the penalty for illegally re-entering the country after being deported. It also calls for a mandatory “E-verify” system businesses would have to check to confirm employees are citizens or legal residents.

Iowa’s two U.S. Senators are calling for action on the nomination of Iowa’s Ag Secretary to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Republicans Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley both spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday.

“Bill Northey should be confirmed by this body,” Grassley said. “He has overwhelming bipartisan support.” The Senate Agriculture Committee approved Northey’s nomination to be the U.S.D.A. Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation back in October.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been blocking a vote in the full Senate on Northey’s nomination over his concerns about job losses at oil refineries that Cruz says are caused by the federal production mandate for ethanol. According to Grassley, Cruz is “taking a nominee hostage to try and force an ill-conceived policy change.” Grassley has met with Cruz, who’s refusing to budge on the matter.

“I don’t know what the next step is, but I think that Bill Northey is such a good person for this position, I’m going to continue to work as long as he wants me to work for his nomination to proceed,” Grassley said. Ernst, in her remarks on the Senate floor, called Northey a great friend and a great Iowan.

“And most importantly, he is a tenacious advocate and true voice for agriculture,” Ernst said. “He has worked on agricultural policy at nearly every level of government.” Ernst and Grassley both stated the concerns raised by Cruz deal with issues that Northey will not even be involved with at USDA. Bill Northey, a farmer from Spirit Lake, was first elected as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture in 2006 and he won reelection in 2010 and 2014.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is renewing his criticism of the Department of Defense for “wasting” enormous amounts of money. Grassley, a Republican, says a new audit of Pentagon spending has found hundreds of millions of dollars are unaccounted for.

“That’s a shocking amount of money unaccounted for the taxpayers dollars,” Grassley says. “It oughta’ be a sin but it’s not in this town, I’m sorry to say.” The accounting firm Ernst & Young found that the DOD’s Defense Logistics Agency failed to properly document more than $800 million in construction projects.

Grassley says, “This is only one example of a series of audits within the Defense Department where there is not a complete record of expenditures.” Grassley notes, the accounting firm is of no relation to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst or Iowa Congressman David Young. Across the board, Grassley says the Pentagon’s financial management “is so weak that its leaders and oversight bodies have no reliable way to track the huge sums it’s responsible for.”

“The number-one priority of the federal government is national defense,” Grassley says. “It’s critical we maintain our country’s military readiness but combat readiness can’t be an excuse for wasteful spending.” The report comes at a critical time, Grassley says, since President Trump is proposing a boost in the military budget. Grassley says an audit of Pentagon spending in Afghanistan in 2016 also found hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted.

“The Defense Department is required by law to produce a clean audit and the Department of Defense hasn’t been able to do that,” Grassley says. “I understand it’s the only department in the federal government that hasn’t been able to have what we call a quote-unquote clean audit.” In a statement released Monday, Grassley says: “I think the odds of a successful DoD audit down the road are zero… They are doomed to failure before they ever get started.” Grassley says this latest audit raises new questions about whether the DOD can responsibly manage its $700 billion annual budget, let alone the additional billions President Trump plans to propose this month.

While he expects it’ll be a late night with a lot of applause breaks, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s looking forward to President Trump’s State of the Union Address.

Grassley, a Republican, says the president has accomplished much in his first year and has plenty to crow about in the speech. “I think he’s going to highlight a lot of positive things that come from the tax reform bill,” Grassley says. “I think he’s going to brag legitimately about three-million Americans receiving a special tax reform bonus in their paycheck.”

Unemployment is down while stocks and our 401-Ks are up, Grassley says, bringing more reasons for optimism. Grassley expects the president will talk about federal judges and the “historic” 13 appellate court judges confirmed in 2017, more in the first year of a presidency than ever before. Grassley notes, however, 145 vacancies remain in the courts.

“Trade issues, the importance of agricultural trade in the renegotiation of NAFTA,” Grassley says. “I hope he’ll give some assurance to the farmers of Iowa that they won’t be hurt. I expect Trump will also talk about the plan for rebuilding our infrastructure.” Grassley expects the president to address his views on immigration and he may also discuss the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s role in our last national election.

“I would hope that he would only say that Mueller should finish his work and that he is counting on a good result for him as a result of it, but nothing more,” Grassley says. “I hope he expresses confidence in Mueller’s work.” As far as the traditions of the State of the Union, Grassley, who’s 84 years old, says he could live happily without one of them — as he’s an early riser.

“Quite frankly, there’s too much of this standing up and applauding,” Grassley says. “For a guy like me that goes to bed at 9 o’clock at night so that I can run at 4 in the morning, it’s starting out at 9 when I should be sleeping. It’s a serious thing so I hope that we can not waste a half hour standing up and applauding.”

Grassley says he’s heard the reports about some Congressional Democrats who plan to skip tonight’s address in protest. He says there may be eight or nine empty seats but doesn’t think their absence will have any impact.

The federal government is back in business this morning as an agreement was reached on a temporary spending bill late Monday.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the next few weeks will be focused on finding a compromise on immigration. Grassley says it’s more than just DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was enacted during the Obama administration.

“Let me give you the four pillars of a possible compromise,” Grassley says, “One, DACA kids. Number two, border security. Number three, ending chain migration. And number four, doing away with diversity visas.”

The spending bill that passed Monday will only keep the government running for three weeks and Grassley says he’s optimistic an agreement can be reached before February 8th. “I believe that we can accomplish all of this in a way that gets broad support in Congress and something that the president will sign,” Grassley says. “So, we will continue our negotiations with these goals in mind.”

Grassley, a Republican, makes it clear who he believes is to blame for the three-day closure of all nonessential federal offices and services, which took effect at midnight last Friday.

“The government’s open, up and running,” Grassley says. “The Democrats shut it down and I think they lost ground for doing it. Maybe for that reason, it won’t happen again, at least in the near future.” Grassley says immigration isn’t the only issue that remains a sticking point between the parties.

Grassley says, “More money for defense has broad bipartisan support, but there’s mostly Democrats that feel, ‘Well, if you spend one more dollar on defense, then we need to spend one more dollar on domestic programs.'” Grassley says defense is the number-one responsibility of the federal government, so he doesn’t “buy in” to the dollar-for-dollar argument.

Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat, released the following statement after the House vote to reopen the government:
“The shutdown is the result of one thing: the inability to compromise. This whole disaster shows just how broken Washington really is. While I remain deeply skeptical that today’s agreement will actually lead to the change that is needed, it at least provides a framework to begin dealing with issues Iowans tell me they want addressed.”

Iowa Congressman David Young, a Republican released this statement: “I’m pleased the government shutdown is ending and the people’s government is getting back to serving Iowans and providing the longest extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program ever. Congress must pass a long-term funding bill and end the short stop-gap funding patches which harm our national security and give economic instability.”

State Representative Pat Grassley, the grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, has announced he plans to seek reelection to the Iowa House.

The move ends speculation the younger Grassley is hoping the governor named him state ag secretary whenever current Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey leaves for a job in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has for months been blocking a confirmation vote for Northey in the U.S. Senate.

Two other Republicans already have announced they plan to run for state ag secretary in 2018. Ray Gaesser, a farmer from Corning who’s a former president of the American Soybean Association, launched his bid last week.

“Strong family farms build a strong, healthy community and grow a strong, healthy Iowa,” Gaesser said during an interview. “And I will work with farmers, with legislators, with citizens to share that message that we’re all in this together and we all have responsibilities that we can share.”

According to Gaesser, the goal should be a “responsible, but profitable” agricultural sector. Gaesser Farms has been nearly 100 percent no-till since 1991 and Gaesser says his family plants cover crops on about half of their corn and soybean ground.

“Our goal on our farm is to have 100 percent,” Gaesser said. “We just see real value in conserving the soil, giving that blanket of protection for Mother Nature in our soil that is needed and building organic matter, sequestering nutrients, all those things of being a benefit from the practice.”

In late October, former Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Lang announced he’s running for the Republican Party’s 2018 nomination for state ag secretary. Lang is a farmer from Brooklyn who also has served as president of the Iowa Board of Regents.

No Democrat has stepped forward to announce plans to seek the elected post of state ag secretary.

The Republican candidate won Tuesday’s special election for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives by a 10-point margin over his Democratic challenger. Jacob Bossman’s win keeps the Sioux City-area seat in Republican hands.

“I’m just excited. I’m elated,” Bossman said during an interview with Radio Iowa this evening. “I’m very thanksful to have the people of Morningside and Sergeant Bluffs and Salix and Bronson place their trust in me.”

Three weeks ago first-term Republican State Representative Jim Carlin of Sioux City won a special election for a state senate seat in the area, prompting Tuesday’s race to choose his replacement. Bossman narrowly lost a GOP Primary to Carlin in 2016 for this House seat. Bossman said that helped with name recognition.

“A lot of great relationships and friendships that I built in 2016 and obviously there was a lot of people that I met just in the last three weeks and, in politics, people tend to have short memories, so I definitely spent a lot of time working hard and introducing myself to people this time, but absolutely I felt like I had laid the groundwork,” Bossman said. “I think a lot of people were aware of me and knew of my positions.”

Bossman, who is 37 years old, is a native of Ponca, Nebraska. He graduated from Ponca High School in 1998. In 2003, he worked as a clerk for then-State Representative Bill Dix, who is now the Iowa Senate’s Republican Leader. In 2007, he worked for State Representative Pat Grassley, the grandson of Iowa’s U.S. Senator.

“I know that I’ve got a lot to learn and I’m going to have to learn on the fly,” Bossman told Radio Iowa. “I feel like my experience clerking in the House and the relationships that I already have will allow me to hit the ground running.”

Bossman has worked as regional director of Senator Chuck Grassley’s Sioux City office for the past 13 years. Bossman lives with his wife and two children in the neighborhood around Morningside College in Sioux City.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the conversations of all the policies that are going to come up this session,” Bossman said. “Tax reform is very important to me being here in Sioux City, especially with South Dakota right across the river.”

South Dakota does not have a state income tax.

President Trump won House District six by 30 points in 2016. Democrats say their candidate — retired principal Rita DeJong — was outspent 10-to-1, but closed that gap by nearly 20 points.

As of January 1, there were 7778 registered Republican voters in the district compared to 6617 “no party” or independents and 5013 Democrats.

Congress is facing a Friday budget deadline to avoid a federal government shutdown and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s hopeful they’ll succeed in reaching an agreement to avoid such a mess.

Grassley says allowing the funding to run out by midnight Friday would be “a stupid thing to do.” “At one time, in 1995 or ‘6, I thought it was a smart idea to shut down the government and then, you know, I found out it ain’t so smart,” Grassley says. “It costs money to shut down the government. It costs money to open up the government.”

One sticking point is deciding on the amount of money that should be devoted to disaster relief for hurricane-damaged areas of Florida, Texas and elsewhere. “When FEMA runs out of money, we’re going to appropriate more money,” Grassley says. “So, whether we appropriate one dollar by Friday or tens of billions of dollars by Friday, there’s no way we can know today exactly how much money’s going to be needed.”

Senate Democrats complained the $81 billions in disaster funding offered by the House wasn’t enough to help Puerto Rico, where the power is still out to one-third of the population. Grassley, a Republican, says it’s nonsense to quibble over that issue.

“I’m not sure why really worry about it right now,” Grassley says. “Get the money out that they can spend in the next few months, X number of dollars, and when those few months are up and they run out of money, appropriate more money.”

The last government shutdown in 2013 happened because, according to Grassley, “about 90% of the Congress was brand new from the last time we did it,” and they didn’t realize what a “stupid” thing it was to do.